As electric vehicles become more and more popular having a constant power source to charge your EV is essential. While there are many more charging ports being built across the country, there are still fewer electric charging ports than gas stations so being able to power your EV from your home is a must.
Powering an electric car with solar panels is a great, energy efficient way to charge your car, using one of the most economical sources of energy on the planet. By using solar energy to charge your EV you can reduce your carbon footprint even more and help to save the planet at the same time.
Energy that is sourced from the electric grid isn’t a renewable source of energy so by using solar energy instead you’ll be driving more sustainably than ever before. Plus, EVs can take a sufficient amount of energy to charge so by using solar power you’ll also be able to save money on your electricity bill too, making it a win-win for homeowners.
How do solar panels for electric cars work?
The solar energy your panels generate during the day can be used in place of electricity from the grid – which is why you can use your panels to charge your electric car. This can work two ways depending on which best suits your needs. During the day you can charge your car directly from the energy created by the panels if your car is at home. Otherwise, if you’re out in the daytime and looking to charge your car on an evening, you can get a battery storage system installed which uses the energy stored from your solar panels during the day overnight. This can also be used to power your home.
How efficient are solar panels?
It’s important to make sure your solar panel system matches your EV charging requirements, as they can be quite substantial. You may need to have more panels installed to ensure your panels generate enough electricity depending on how often you drive and the distances covered. This may be more costly initially but works out better overtime.
When it comes to general financial efficiencies, using solar energy to charge your EV is a smart move as the main energy source is effectively free as you’ll be creating your own energy at home. While having an EV is better for the environment, it still costs to charge it up and to have the charging meter installed at your home. Electric cars are also more expensive than their petrol and diesel counterparts at the moment, however this is predicted to change overtime as they grow in popularity.
Solar panels also pay off in the long run as they can add to the value of your home. As the boom for EVs continues having a home with solar panels and an EV charging port will become more and more of an advantage adding value to the price of your property.
How many solar panels do you need to charge an electric car?
Speak to your car dealership to find out the battery capacity of your EV.
Once you know this you’ll be able to work out how much electricity you need specifically to charge your car. This will inform whether or not your current solar panel system needs adapting to meet your needs – you may need to have more panels installed. If you don’t have panels at all it’s well worth mentioning you’re planning on charging an EV before installation to calculate how many you’ll need in total.
To fully charge your EV to the top, it’s likely you’ll need a lot of solar energy but you won’t need to fully charge your EV everyday – depending on how far you travel and how much electricity it takes to charge your particular model of car.
In essence, using solar panels to power your EV is a great step towards a greener lifestyle. Using free, clean electricity to power your car will help to reduce the levels of pollution driving causes and help you to live a cheaper, more environmentally friendly life.
